College of Veterinary Medicine, China Agricultural University, Beijing 100193, China.
College of Veterinary Medicine, Shanxi Agricultural University, Jinzhong 030801, China.
Nutrients. 2021 Dec 28;14(1):123. doi: 10.3390/nu14010123.
Coix seed is a functional food in the Chinese diet that possesses the ability to alleviate ulcerative colitis clinically. However, the underlying mechanisms remain ambiguous. In this study, we investigated the protective effect of the Coix seed diet on experimental colitis mice. The mice were randomly divided into four groups: control group, model group, Coix seed feed group, and positive control group. The maintenance feed of the mice was replaced with Coix seed feed 10 days before orally administering the mice 5% (/) dextran sulfate sodium drink. As a result, the Coix seed feed alleviated colitis symptoms, maintained the complete blood count at a normal level, reduced the pathological score, relieved inflammatory cytokine secretion, and alleviated oxidative stress. Network pharmacology analysis was used for further exploration of the targets of Coix seed feed. The results showed that T-cell regulation is one of the targets of Coix seed feed, and the analysis of the T-lymphocyte subset and innate immune cell distribution of the colon tissue supported the network pharmacology results. In conclusion, Coix seed, as a staple food, can alleviate experimental colitis, and the mechanism may be related to the immune regulation effect of Coix seeds.
薏苡仁是中国人饮食中的一种功能性食品，具有缓解溃疡性结肠炎的临床作用。然而，其潜在机制尚不清楚。在这项研究中，我们研究了薏苡仁饮食对实验性结肠炎小鼠的保护作用。将小鼠随机分为四组：对照组、模型组、薏苡仁饲料组和阳性对照组。在给小鼠口服 5%（/）葡聚糖硫酸钠饮料之前的 10 天，用薏苡仁饲料替换维持饲料。结果，薏苡仁饲料缓解了结肠炎症状，使全血细胞计数保持在正常水平，降低了病理评分，缓解了炎症细胞因子的分泌，并减轻了氧化应激。网络药理学分析进一步探讨了薏苡仁饲料的作用靶点。结果表明，T 细胞调节是薏苡仁饲料的作用靶点之一，结肠组织中 T 淋巴细胞亚群和固有免疫细胞分布的分析支持网络药理学结果。总之，薏苡仁作为主食，可以缓解实验性结肠炎，其机制可能与薏苡仁的免疫调节作用有关。
